The MeetFactory venue was a damn cool sight; it is located at the outskirts of Prague right next to the rail tracks something that gives a feeling of the working class society and past rough times. Even if the whole part of the city appeared barren, the atmosphere was really warm and cozy and I love the fact they had a mobile bar outside of the venue. What can be better than take a beer while waiting for the doors to be opened.

One of the reasons for selecting this gig to see DIRKSCHNEIDER and ANVIL was actually because of PALACE who were opening the whole event. I don't really remember how we came across PALACE; it was either digging into SAINT'S ANGER or just playing "click random band on Metal Archives", no matter what, they really struck hard when listening and I can't for my life understand why PALACE have been such a hidden gem in the German Metal scene. They have cool songs which work extremely well live and take "Dark Prophecies" as one example. The groove and the oomph are fantastic. PALACE were also damn fun to watch; they had a good time and that reflected on the crowd in a very good way. Everyone present was perhaps not familiar with PALACE but they sure won people over, one by one as the show passed.

This makes it even stranger the fact that they never appeared on any festival I've attended over the years. It sounded very professional, perfection all the way through and guitarist and lead vocalist Harald “HP” Piller sure is an entertainer. But I guess nothing is fair but I really think that PALACE should appeal to many metalheads if they only got the chance. “The Healer” from the fantastic “Divine Intervention” LP was another highlight of the set. And it all was so much fun; PALACE really lightened up the place and set the party mood to high. Not many openers manage to do that. They played a short and intense but very good set. It all was over when everyone got started though so that felt a little disappointing. But hopefully I'll get another chance to see them and even as headliners.

PALACE

(click to enlarge)

I had no doubt that ANVIL would kick ass. They did the same in Malmö about a month ago. What I was most curious to see was if they could perform with the same energy now as well since the tour has been both intense and extensive.

Of course everything uncalled for because as soon as it was stage time both Rob and Lips got their energy boosted and it's full speed ahead. Opening “March Of The Crabs” was followed by “666” just as ANVIL did in Malmö. The difference was the response from the crowd. The MeetFactory was sold out long before the show so the place was packed. I don't know if this is the standard for Prague or it had to do with people standing like packed sardines. There were a few hands waving in the front but the rest mainly just watched. One of my absolute favorite songs from ANVIL is definitely “Winged Assassins” and it's so cool to see Chris Robertson take on the stage on his own in the prelude bass solo which starts the song. He was jumping around in Malmö but this was something else. He is fantastic and how he fills out behind Lips is phenomenal. And even more fun, he gets better each and every time I see ANVIL play. “Free As The Wind” was also one of the highlights. One song which wasn't played in Malmö was “Daggers And Rum”; a cool live act that managed to boost the crowd somewhat at least. “Zombie Apocalypse”, which instead was playing in Malmö is one of my favorites from “Anvil Is Anvil” so I probably would have preferred that one but it's cool that ANVIL change around in the set a bit.

And then to not have “Swing Thing” to close the set sure worked a lot better. The track is fantastic and it's always great to see Rob Reiner let loose on the drums. I normally don't like drum solos but there are just a few people that can keep my interest up and Robbo sure is one of them. “Die For A Lie” is another favorite from the new release and after these shows it has climbed high on the list over live-favorites as well. “Metal On Metal” got some more response than the rest of the set. Again, I was rather surprised that the one-hour time ANVIL had on this tour was over already. Even if it is basically the same time after time it never gets boring, it's always an energy boost to see ANVIL play and regardless the low response from the packed MeetFactory this performance was just as the other, damn great!

One could think the crowd caught up and that the response would be massive for DIRKSCHNEIDER; after all, this was the main act which had sold out the place. It got somewhat more compared to ANVIL but just marginal. Udo and his band performed with the same energy and perfection as they did in Malmö though. “Starlight” and “Living For Tonite” opened the set and damn, those songs are good. The downside with this, as I knew beforehand, it was very similar to the Malmö show. The setlist has been the same throughout the tour but the moves, lights and everything is virtually the same, which isn't the case for ANVIL.

But that's a petty to point out really since it all sounded amazing. The sound was really good all night but I don't think I've experienced at all before this crisp and clear as it was for DIRKSCHNEIDER. Ok, my spot was on the balcony; we tried to be on the floor both for this and ANVIL, but since the place was packed and also the pillars blocked our viewing angle unless you were between them, it was hard to see. Getting the whole thing straight in my face should have done much for the sound experience. It was damn good at least. The section with “Midnight Mover” followed by “Breaker”, “Head Over Heels” and “Neon Nights” is my favorite of the set. I really like it all of course but there are always songs twitching the nerve more than others. And then for “Princess Of The Dawn” the crowd actually started to wake up. It for sure is a classic and easy to sing a long too but it felt a little late; but better late than never.

And looking at it, the second half consisting mainly of the really big ACCEPT hits so even if you're not 100% into the band's music, just by hanging around metalheads the latter half of the set should have been familiar with songs like “Restless And Wild”, “Son Of a Bitch” and later on “Screaming For A Love-Bite” and “Losers And Winners”. The last of the bunch represented the end of the main set and the shout back for the encores was rather impressive. It didn't beat the treatment Udo and the band got in Malmö though.

Still, the atmosphere inside MeetFactory was really good. It got hot and since it was very packed I can understand if people couldn't make the same mess as back in Sweden. But it really got good towards the end when it came to support and it all turned out to be a very good night. I must say that I'm really impressed by Mr. Dirkschneider and the way he manages to play a 2 hour+ set night after night. This tour is really crazy both when it comes to number of dates and how tight the schedule is. A month after the Malmö show he's still going strong; he and the band is still performing with the same energy. Just how they can push out “I'm A Rebel” which should be pretty demanding on Udo's voice and then “Fast As A Shark” which almost killed the crowd in Malmö. Still perfect! So even if this was basically the same show as Malmö, it was still very good to see it once more. The surprise factor wasn't there though but for a set like this it's not really necessary either.